Bowdoin College Homepage
Bowdoin College Museum of Art Logo and Wordmark

Advanced Search

Joseph Mallord William Turner (J. M. W. Turner)

 
Joseph Mallord William Turner

18th-19th century British painter and draftsman
(London, England, 4/23/1775 - 12/19/1851, Chelsea, England)

4/27/06: FROM THE WEBSITE www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/turner/:..... "Turner, John Mallord William (1775-1851). One of the finest landscape artists was J.M.W. Turner, whose work was exhibited when he was still a teenager. His entire life was devoted to his art. Unlike many artists of his era, he was successful throughout his career. Joseph Mallord William Turner was born in London, England, on April 23, 1775. His father was a barber. His mother died when he was very young. The boy received little schooling. His father taught him how to read, but this was the extent of his education except for the study of art. By the age of 13 he was making drawings at home and exhibiting them in his father's shop window for sale. Turner was 15 years old when he received a rare honor--one of his paintings was exhibited at the Royal Academy. By the time he was 18 he had his own studio. Before he was 20 print sellers were eagerly buying his drawings for reproduction. He quickly achieved a fine reputation and was elected an associate of the Royal Academy. In 1802, when he was only 27, Turner became a full member. He then began traveling widely in Europe. Venice was the inspiration of some of Turner's finest work. Wherever he visited he studied the effects of sea and sky in every kind of weather. His early training had been as a topographic draftsman. With the years, however, he developed a painting technique all his own. Instead of merely recording factually what he saw, Turner translated scenes into a light-filled expression of his own romantic feelings. As he grew older Turner became an eccentric. Except for his father, with whom he lived for 30 years, he had no close friends. He allowed no one to watch him while he painted. He gave up attending the meetings of the academy. None of his acquaintances saw him for months at a time. Turner continued to travel but always alone. He still held exhibitions, but he usually refused to sell his paintings. When he was persuaded to sell one, he was dejected for days. In 1850 he exhibited for the last time. One day Turner disappeared from his house. His housekeeper, after a search of many months, found him hiding in a house in Chelsea. He had been ill for a long time. He died the following day--Dec. 19, 1851. Turner left a large fortune that he hoped would be used to support what he called "decaying artists." His collection of paintings was bequeathed to his country. At his request he was buried in St. Paul's Cathedral. Although known for his oils, Turner is regarded as one of the founders of English watercolor landscape painting. Some of his most famous works are Calais Pier, Dido Building Carthage, Rain, Steam and Speed, Burial at Sea, and The Grand Canal, Venice."

28 objects

Bonneville, Savoy

ca. 1816
etching and mezzotint on paper
Gift of Charles A. Coffin, Honorary Degree, 1922
1923.79
 

Lucerne

n.d.
engraving on paper
Gift of Charles A. Coffin, Honorary Degree, 1922
1923.84.a
 

The Woman and Tambourine

1807
etching and mezzotint on paper
Gift of Charles A. Coffin, Honorary Degree, 1922
1923.92
 

The Blind Milton

1775-1851
graphite on paper
Bequest of Dr. Bernard Samuels
1960.27
 

Dedham Castle after Turner

1888
etching on paper
Bequest of George Otis Hamlin
1961.69.92
 

Aesacus and Hesperie

1819
etching and engraving on paper
Museum Purchase, Art Collection Purchase Fund and Museum Purchase Fund
1979.56
 

Ship and Cutter

n.d.
mezzotint on paper
Museum Purchase, Lloyd O. and Marjorie Strong Coulter Fund
1984.35
 

The Castle

1885
mezzotint on paper
Bequest of John Nichols, Class of 1936, and Dorothy Coogan Estabrook
1988.22.59
 

Mill Near the Grand Chartreuse, Dauphiny

1816
engraving on paper
Bequest of John Nichols, Class of 1936, and Dorothy Coogan Estabrook
1988.22.81
 

Lauffenbourgh on the Rhine

1811
engraving on paper
Bequest of John Nichols, Class of 1936, and Dorothy Coogan Estabrook
1988.22.82
 

Ville de Thun, Switzerland

1816
engraving on paper
Bequest of John Nichols, Class of 1936, and Dorothy Coogan Estabrook
1988.22.83
 

Christ and the Woman of Samaria

1819
engraving on paper
Bequest of John Nichols, Class of 1936, and Dorothy Coogan Estabrook
1988.22.84
 

East Gate, Winchelsea, Sussex

1819
engraving on paper
Bequest of John Nichols, Class of 1936, and Dorothy Coogan Estabrook
1988.22.85
 

Martello Towers near Bexhill, Sussex

1811
engraving on paper
Bequest of John Nichols, Class of 1936, and Dorothy Coogan Estabrook
1988.22.86
 

Marine Dabblers

1811
engraving on paper
Bequest of John Nichols, Class of 1936, and Dorothy Coogan Estabrook
1988.22.87
 

Morpeth North-d

1809
engraving on paper
Bequest of John Nichols, Class of 1936, and Dorothy Coogan Estabrook
1988.22.88
 

The Castle Above the Meadows

1809
mezzotint on paper
Bequest of John Nichols, Class of 1936, and Dorothy Coogan Estabrook
1988.22.89
 

Inverary Castle and Town, Scotland

1816
engraving on paper
Bequest of John Nichols, Class of 1936, and Dorothy Coogan Estabrook
1988.22.90
 

Jason

n.d.
engraving on paper
Bequest of John Nichols, Class of 1936, and Dorothy Coogan Estabrook
1988.22.91
 

Flint Castle-Vessels Unloading

n.d.
engraving on paper
Bequest of John Nichols, Class of 1936, and Dorothy Coogan Estabrook
1988.22.92
 

The Leader Sea-Piece or Original Sketch of a Picture for William Leader, Esq.

1809
engraving on paper
Bequest of John Nichols, Class of 1936, and Dorothy Coogan Estabrook
1988.22.93
 

Junction of Severn and Wye

1811
engraving on paper
Bequest of John Nichols, Class of 1936, and Dorothy Coogan Estabrook
1988.22.94
 

Ploughing, Eton

n.d.
etching on paper
Bequest of John Nichols, Class of 1936, and Dorothy Coogan Estabrook
1988.22.95
 

Mer de Glace-Valley of Chamouni-Savoy

1812
engraving on paper
Bequest of John Nichols, Class of 1936, and Dorothy Coogan Estabrook
1988.22.96
 

Martello Towers Near Bexhill

n.d.
etching on paper
Bequest of John Nichols, Class of 1936, and Dorothy Coogan Estabrook
1988.22.97
 

View of York Cathedral

n.d.
oil on panel
Bequest of Irene S. Pickard
1991.78